A form of underground heavy metal that evolved from the '80s Thrash Metal scene, Black Metal, Classical Music, Jazz, and Progressive Rock. Oftentimes considered as "bastardized classical music," Death Metal often uses the technicality and structure of classical music and jazz, and also imitates the sounds of a symphony on highly distorted guitar work. Death Metal vocals are very famous for its intense, gutteral, low pitched, growling vocal style. This is the pinpoint of Death Metal stereotyping, since they are not singing like most popular music nowadays. Because there are an overwhelming amount of notes being played by the guitar, bass, and drums, the vocals cannot be too melodic or rhythmic, so the vocals are used as percussion-like instrument. The drum work in Death Metal is most of the time very fast and technical, combining influence from classical music, jazz, and progressive rock.

Death Metal is also separate into very different sub genres, including Old School Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, Slam Death Metal, Progressive Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Blackened Death Metal, Symphonic Death Metal, Deaththrash, Deathgrind, Crust Death, Death Doom, Funeral Doom, Ambient Death Metal, and many many more.

Death Metal in the mainstream world is often times dismissed, and considered talentless, and a less valid form of music. This is completely false. Death Metal is far more technical than the popular music hitting teenagers nowadays, and has many more musical characteristics than their music. Death Metal is never meant to be mainstream, which is a very good thing, so corporations will never destroy the genre by pissing on it for teenagers to enjoy. They have already tried with Deathcore, a genre that fuses death metal and metalcore, but that has not destroyed the death metal scene yet. In fact, it has made the brotherhood of death metal stronger than ever.

Actually, Death Metal isn't simply about satan/death/killing ect. Grindcore/death metal masters NAPALM DEATH have had a long history of political statments in thier music. The afformentioned Satan enlightens and brings forth religious ideas and concepts. In reality, Death Metal can be inteligent. However, bands like Obituary and Cannibal Corpse stay true to the no-brains-kill-em-all style, (good fun) but try not to tar all music of one genre with the same brush.

A style of music whose listeners know and appreciate the level of skill and often "tight" musicianship, characterized by the ability to churn out complex 32nd and 64th note riffs with almost inhuman precision.

Also a style of music whose detractors refer to as "satanic" or "evil," despite the fact that the vast majority of them either have never actually heard any death metal.

Sub-genre of Metal where the musicians are extremely talented and play as fast and technical as humanely possible, yet still wont hardly sell any records or get the recognition they deserve.

Song structure is typically like classical music: It's almost non existent. Melody changes ever few seconds, drums change on a dime, and singing (or growling, pig squeals, screaming, etc.) often pops in and out.

Changing melodies typically make death metal less memorable to casual fans, which is why you don't really see it on MTV (Well, that and the death growl vocals creep people out).

There is also Melodic death metal, where the growl is replaced with a scream, the melody doesn't change as much, and keyboards are typically added, and deathcore, which is a fusion of hardcore and death metal. These genres are sometimes criticized by death metalheads for changing true death metal.

An intense and brutal type of music that has an "aquired" ear. Once you've listened, and enjoyed what you've heard, there is no stepping down from the grip of the brutality that is called death metal. Death Metal is greatly discriminated against in most situations, but have probably the most talented musicians in the music scene. The lyrics are filled with disturbing thoughts and beliefs, which may not be acceptable to some people. People who live and greatly respect this type of music (including all types of metal) have earned the name metalhead. Go and ask your metal lover at school or work about it and they will give you a nice, informative responce. I hope this helped inform you of this great genre of music. Go out and buy some metal CD's.

Me: (listening to Behemoth during lunch)
(insert insult here)kid: What are you listening to?
Me: shut up I'm listeng to a band called Behemoth.
(insult insult here)kid: OMG you listen to death metal your a fag
Me: Really? Try to insult Death Metal, it rapes the hell out of your music.
(insert insult here)kid: Fuck You
Me: (continues to listen to the greatest music on earth)